Victoria Beckham defends parenting amid rift with son Brooklyn

MONTANA — The Private Land/Public Wildlife Advisory Committee will meet on Zoom from April 22 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., according to the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

The committee is a citizen advisory group focused on issues involving hunters, anglers, landowners, outfitters and public access across Montana.

The meeting will discuss technology and FWP access programs. 

Members of the public will be able to join the meeting via zoom.

Superstar LeBron James warned Thursday that Kevin Durant isn't the only threat the depleted Los Angeles Lakers must be wary of in their NBA playoffs first-round clash with the Houston Rockets.

The series, which starts on Saturday in Los Angeles, has been billed as a renewal of their rivalry, which stretches back to 2008 and includes three clashes in the NBA Finals.

In the 2012 Finals, James's Miami Heat beat Durant's Oklahoma City Thunder. Five years later Durant's Golden State Warriors beat James's Cleveland Cavaliers in the championship series, repeating the feat the following season.

James has long voiced his admiration for Durant, his teammate on two Olympic gold medal-winning teams.

But the 41-year-old said the Lakers can't afford to disregard Durant's supporting cast.

"We know that he's the head of the snake," James said. "But it's the Houston Rockets and they have some damn good players on their team.

"It's not just a KD team. It's the whole group," James added, calling out Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith in noting that "everyone who goes on the floor is a threat, and we have to be ready for that."

The Rockets' aggression could be particularly difficult for the Lakers to counter with key offensive assets Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves sidelined by injury.

Doncic has sought treatment in Europe in a bid to hasten his return from a hamstring strain and Reaves was also sidelined late in the regular season with an oblique muscle injury, with a return date for both still uncertain.

Lakers coach JJ Redick acknowledged that puts even more on the shoulders of James.

"We're going to need him to facilitate. We're going to need him to score," Redick said. "We're going to need him to defend and rebound.

"I think he recognizes the task at hand, and he's very locked in."

Durant, who arrived in Houston from Phoenix last July as part of a blockbuster seven-team deal, also downplayed any individual duel with James.

"It's always great playing against great players," Durant said. "You feel their presence on the floor even if you're not matched up with them.

"Of course from the outside looking in, casual folks who are not in the life with us every day, yeah the matchup is definitely fun. Two great players who have been in the league for a long time. But everybody who's involved in this series knows it's much deeper than that."

bb/rcw

IMF economists warned Thursday that the war in Iran could have “very, certainly severe” consequences far outside the region – especially for energy-importing countries.

Countries in East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa are among the countries most affected now -- and who could suffer the most -- outside the region, as the conflict stretches on.

Ironically, the ongoing virtual closure of the Strait of Hormuz -- through which about one-fifth of the world's oil and gas passes -- has been a windfall for some petroleum-exporting nations, like Nigeria or Algeria.

But for those that rely on imports for food, fertilizer, and energy, the elevated prices are proving worrisome.

"Oil impacted importers, particularly non-resource-rich and fragile states, face deteriorating trade balances, rising living costs and limited buffers" to absorb future shocks," warned Abebe Selassie, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Director for Africa, at a press conference Thursday.

"The human consequences are almost certain to be severe," he added.

IMF economists are briefing government officials and media on their latest economic analysis as they hold their spring meetings alongside the World Bank this week in Washington.

- Hitting the most vulnerable -

Sub-Saharan Africa -- which for IMF statistical purposes does not include Sudan and parts of the Horn of Africa -- could see 20 million people pushed towards hunger, an IMF report said.

For Sahel countries, where poverty is widespread, factors that are expected to drive up the cost of food include scarce, expensive fertilizer and rising transportation costs.

"Already transportation costs are very high for people in urban areas, rural areas even more so," Selassie explained. "We are already seeing quite a bit of a pinch from the crisis on people, impoverishing people -- it's making life difficult for people."

The economic effects of the crisis hit at a time when international aid is in steep decline, another source of concern for the IMF.

The aid declines aren't a temporary ebb, but are "more structural," Selassie said. "It is falling hardest on the region's most vulnerable countries -- fragile states and low-income economies -- that depend on aid, not as a supplement but as a critical source of budget financing for healthcare and food assistance."

- Heavy oil reliance -

Further afield, small Pacific islands are of great concern, said the IMF's Asia-Pacific Director Krishna Srinivasan, due to their heavy reliance energy imports and the amount of time it takes ships to reach them -- even when shipping disruptions are minimal.

Zooming out, the entire region -- not just small islands -- faces unique risks because it spends almost double what Europe does on oil and gas, as a percent of GDP.

Some countries, such as Malaysia and Thailand spend around 10 percent of their GDP on oil and gas -- a sign of how reliant they are on energy imports.

- Downgrades like 2008 -

None of this is to downplay the effects in the Middle East, where the IMF's regional director, Jihad Azour, told reporters that their updated estimates of economic activity are "among the largest six-month downgrades to regional growth projections we have made since the global financial crisis."

Markets are now demanding higher interest rates across the board, further driving up the cost of borrowing for countries in the region that were already facing difficulties.

Here again, food is a pressure issue, especially in the region's poorest.

"Food items already account for 45 to 50 percent of total imports in Yemen, Sudan, Somalia and more than half of their population are already experiencing food insecurity," Azour said.

So what's to be done? 

IMF officials have repeated the same mantra all week: governments should adopt only temporary, limited measures to avoid further stretching already thin budgets.

els-pnb/sla

Netflix shares plummeted more than eight percent Thursday as the TV streaming titan reported quarterly revenue of $12.25 billion, a result that slightly topped expectations.

An earnings letter to investors came with word that co-founder Reed Hastings, who helped grow the revolutionary DVD-by-mail company into a global entertainment behemoth, will step away from Netflix when his term as chairman of the board of directors ends in June.

"Netflix changed my life in so many ways," Hastings wrote in the letter.

"My all‑time favorite memory was January 2016, when we enabled nearly the entire planet to enjoy our service."

Netflix faces increasing competition from rival streaming services as well as short-form video platforms like TikTok that vie for consumers' attention.

The share price slide came despite Netflix reporting profit of $5.28 billion, which was boosted by a fee received for the termination of a deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery.

During the recently ended quarter, Netflix declined to sweeten its takeover offer of Warner Bros, effectively ceding the media giant to a rival bid from Paramount Skydance after deciding the deal was no longer financially attractive.

Netflix logged a termination fee of $2.8 billion related to the nixed deal, according to its earnings report.

By not following through on the arrangement, Netflix will likely see the storied Hollywood studio and a group of TV properties -- which includes CNN -- fall into the hands of Paramount, fundamentally reshaping US media.

Paramount's deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery is in a regulatory and shareholder approval phase.

The bidding war had drawn White House attention, with President Donald Trump insisting he had a say in the outcome.

Oracle founder Larry Ellison is the father of Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison.

Larry Ellison, a longtime Trump ally, largely financed his son's takeover of Paramount and his subsequent bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.

A victory by Paramount would see CNN -- often the target of Trump's threats and criticism -- pass to Ellison family control, amid backlash that a Paramount-owned CBS would see changes to the White House's liking.

Netflix shares climbed after it stepped away from the Warner bidding, with analysts noting that the money it saved could be invested in audience-drawing shows and its potentially lucrative advertising business.

"Netflix won with investors when it lost Warner Bros Discovery," said Emarketer senior analyst Ross Benes.

"Netflix's next challenge will be to truly diversify away from having subscriptions account for almost the entirety of its revenue."

- Baseball and ads -

The streamer's advertising platform continues to grow, and the company expects it to account for $3 billion in revenue this year, according to co-chief executive Greg Peters.

He added that Netflix sees opportunity in using artificial intelligence to make it easier for partners to customize ads.

"As the company enters a new era without Reed Hastings, advertising will play a bigger role," Benes said.

"There's no better time to amplify an ads business than right now."

Netflix is also pushing further into live sports, podcasts and games, executives said on an earnings call.

The recently streamed World Baseball Classic was "a hit" on Netflix, according to co-chief executive Ted Sarandos.

"It was the most watched program we've ever had in Japan," he said on the call.

"It was really exciting to see how this played out."

gc/mlm

Nearly a week after their Pacific splashdown, the astronauts who crewed the Artemis II mission that flew around the Moon told reporters Thursday they have yet to fully grasp the magnitude of the moment.

"It's been a week of medical testing, physical testing, doctors, science objectives," mission commander Reid Wiseman said during a press conference at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

"We have not had that decompression," he added. 

The 50-year-old led fellow Americans Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian crewmate Jeremy Hansen, on a mission that took them farther into space than anyone has ever gone before.

Adjusting to life on Earth is taking a beat.

"Tomorrow will be one week, and I just was trying to live in a little hole for one week, been off social media, not on the news. So, no, I don't know," Glover, who piloted the mission, told reporters. 

Nonetheless, he said his children and neighbors have clued him in to the excitement.

Artemis II was the first crewed mission to venture to the Moon's orbit since 1972, and the only one in history to include a woman, or a Black astronaut, or a non-American. Their voyage was broadcast live by US space agency NASA, and the media coverage of the launch and return to Earth was watched by millions of people. 

For Koch, waking up to the reality means remembering gravity has taken hold.

"In the first few days, I thought I was floating. I truly thought I was floating, and I had to convince myself I wasn't," Koch said.

Their mission lasted almost 10 days, but NASA has ambitions to return to the Moon for longer visits to establish a base in preparation for future missions to Mars.

The United States is targeting a lunar landing in 2028, before the end of President Donald Trump's term and a deadline set by rivals in China.

cha/ube/sla/mlm

Victoria Beckham said Thursday she and her husband David have always sought to "protect" their children, months after eldest son Brooklyn attacked his famous parents in an explosive social media rant. 

In the January post, 27-year-old Brooklyn alleged his parents tried to "ruin" his relationship with his wife Nicola Peltz Beckham and said he had no wish to reconcile with his family. 

He said his parents, seeking to protect the "Brand Beckham," tried to "bribe me into signing away the rights to my name" before he married the American actress in 2022. 

Victoria Beckham, a Spice Girls pop star turned fashion designer, told the Wall Street Journal that she and ex-England footballer David have "always tried to be the best parents that we can be."

"We've been in the public eye for more than 30 years right now, and all we've ever tried to do is protect our children and love our children," she said. 

"Being a parent of young adult children and adult children, gosh, I mean, it's very different from having little children. I think that we're trying to do the best we can."

Brooklyn's surprise criticism of his parents made front-page news in UK tabloids. 

"Since the moment I started standing up for myself with my family, I've received endless attacks from my parents, both privately and publicly, that were sent to the press on their orders," he said. 

International soccer phenom David Beckham has not directly answered questions about the tensions, but when asked by US broadcaster CNBC about children using social media, he said parents should let children "make mistakes."

pel/ph/bjt/sla

(The Center Square) – After Kansas passed legislation to prevent “lawfare” – or the making of policies apart from the legal process – a consumer protection organization said other states following Kansas’ lead is “imperative” for the sake of consumers and the legislative process.

Executive director of Alliance for Consumers Action O.H. Skinner told The Center Square that “following Kansas' example and passing this legislation is imperative to protect consumers from a political agenda and ensuring legislation happens outside the courtroom."

"Trial lawyers and activists have been able to game the system and push lawsuits that feed into a political money machine and push a political agenda through the courts,” Skinner said.

“Thanks to the Kansas legislature, the state enacted first-of-its-kind legislation that takes away key pillars of woke lawfare and sets a model that other states should follow in order to protect consumers,” Skinner said.

“The legislation protects homeowners and small business owners from paying out money to criminals and wrongdoers and prevents consumers from having their choices decided by activists who push lawfare in court,” Skinner said.

The Center Square previously reported on recent Kansas legislation – Senate Bill 462 – in which “Kansas lawmakers overrode Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto” of the bill thereby “enacting a measure supporters say will limit the use of courts to advance political agendas.” 

Skinner explained that legislation similar to Kansas’ SB 462 “restores the balance of power and makes it clear that consumers should decide which they want to purchase, not progressive ideologues.”

“Activists shouldn’t be able to use woke lawfare as a backdoor for policies that can’t pass at the ballot box or through the legislation process,” Skinner said. 

“Only by understanding the playbook being used by woke activists can public officials begin to reestablish the proper role of courts in our democracy and ensure that major policy decisions are made through democratic processes accountable to the American people,” Skinner said.

When asked how Kansas’ SB 462 will affect the average American, O.H. Skinner replied that "there are two key provisions in the Kansas legislation that includes protection from public nuisance and criminals.”

“The public nuisance provisions protect Kansas consumers by stopping activists from being able to stretch public-nuisance law and turn it into an ideological tool,” Skinner said.

“Whether it’s cars, firearms, household appliances, or energy production, this legislation protects consumers in Kansas and across our nation by preventing the activist lawfare schemes that attempt to wipe consumer products off the shelf simply because leftwing activists disapprove of them,” Skinner said.

“Similarly, the criminal provisions align the legal system with what citizens think is logical and fair: criminals should never be allowed to profit from illegal activity through bogus lawsuits,” Skinner said.

Skinner noted Kansas’ SB 462 “ensures that this basic level of fairness is returned to the judicial system and stops trial lawyers from enriching themselves.”

“Thanks to Kansas lawmakers, consumers in their state will now be protected from these ideological agendas being pushed through the courts,” Skinner said.

The Center Square previously covered a report that exposed how the American Left pushes its agenda through lawfare in the courtroom “outside of the established legislative process.”

Netflix shares plummeted more than 8 percent on Thursday as the TV streaming titan reported quarterly revenue of $12.25 billion, which slightly topped expectations.

An earnings letter to investors came with word that co-founder Reed Hastings will step away from the company when his term as chairman of the board of directors ends in June.

"Netflix changed my life in so many ways," Hastings wrote in the letter.

"My all‑time favorite memory was January 2016, when we enabled nearly the entire planet to enjoy our service."

Netflix faces increasing competition from rival streaming services as well as short-form video platforms like TikTok that vie for people's attention.

The share price plunge came despite Netflix reporting profit of $5.28 billion, which was boosted by a fee received for the termination of a deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery.

During the recently ended quarter, Netflix declined to sweeten its takeover offer of Warner Bros, effectively ceding the media giant to a rival bid from Paramount Skydance after deciding the deal was no longer financially attractive.

Netflix logged a termination fee of $2.8 billion related to the nixed deal, according to its earnings report.

Netflix not following through on the arrangement will likely see the storied Hollywood studio and a group of TV properties which includes CNN fall into the hands of Paramount, fundamentally reshaping US media.

Paramount's deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery is in a regulatory and shareholder approval phase.

The bidding war had drawn White House attention, with President Donald Trump insisting he had a say in the outcome.

Oracle founder Larry Ellison is the father of Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison.

Larry Ellison, a longtime Trump ally, largely financed his son's takeover of Paramount and his subsequent bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.

A victory by Paramount would see CNN -- often the target of Trump's threats and criticism -- pass to Ellison family control, amid backlash that a Paramount-owned CBS would see changes to the White House's liking.

Netflix shares climbed after it stepped away from the Warner bidding, with analysts noting that the money it saved could be invested in audience-drawing shows and its potentially lucrative advertising business.

gc/jgc

Victor Wembanyama, whose rapid rise from teen phenom to superstar has transformed the San Antonio Spurs into legitimate title contenders, is relishing his first shot at NBA playoff glory.

"This moment is what you work on all year, but also your whole career," Wembanyama said as the Spurs looked forward to their Western Conference first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers -- the five-time champion franchise's first playoff appearance in seven years.

Wembanyama, 22, has been the driving force of that resurgence which saw the Spurs claim the Western Conference second seed behind the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

Drafted at 19, Wembanyama enjoyed a dazzling rookie campaign on a still struggling Spurs team that finished with 22 victories and 60 defeats.

An outstanding sophomore season was brought to a premature close because of blood clots in his shoulder.

The frightening diagnosis was just another blow for a Spurs team that had seen longtime coach Gregg Popovich step away after suffering a stroke.

"It means a lot, coming back from a terrible place," said Wembanyama, who in his third campaign has placed himself unquestionably among the game's elite.

He averaged a career-high 25 points per game and a league best 3.1 blocks to help the Spurs, who had 34 victories in 2024-25, pile up 62 wins.

A front-runner for Defensive Player of the Year honors and in the Most Valuable Player mix, Wembanyama has been complemented this season by All-Star point guard De'Aaron Fox and explosive shooting guard Stephon Castle.

Fox is the only member of their starting five who has previous playoff experience, but reserves Harrison Barnes and Luke Kornet have won NBA titles, Barnes with Golden State in 2015 and Kornet with Boston in 2024.

Wembanyama himself is no stranger to high-stakes games.

He likened the playoff anticipation building in San Antonio to the 2024 Olympics, where France won silver in front of home fans in a final against a USA team stacked with NBA superstars.

"You can feel it, for sure," Wembanyama told reporters after practice on Wednesday. "Everybody is a little bit more locked in. Everybody is a little bit more involved."

Wembanyama, who missed several games with a bruised rib in the waning days of the regular season, says he is "very close" to full fitness.

"There's always something going on," he said. "In terms of regular-season shape, I'm very close."

The Spurs go in as heavy favorites for the series starting this Sunday against the Trail Blazers, whose coach Tiago Splitter won an NBA title with San Antonio in 2014.

Wembanyama says he's trying to stay focused on the first task in hand but admits it's tempting to look ahead to a possible championship.

"I can't really help but dream about it, but we have to stay grounded, stay in the moment," he said.

bb/amz

If you still feel the need for speed, Paramount Pictures has good news for you -- "Top Gun 3" is officially happening, with Tom Cruise back as daring pilot Pete "Maverick" Mitchell.

The announcement came Thursday at the studio's showcase at CinemaCon, an annual week-long summit at which Hollywood studios present their biggest upcoming movies to theater owners and press.

Paramount film co-head Josh Greenstein said "Top Gun 3" was "officially in development with a script well underway," adding that Cruise would reunite with producer Jerry Bruckheimer on the project.

The original 1986 film helped propel Cruise to superstardom, and the 2022 sequel earned $1.5 billion worldwide.

Legendary director Steven Spielberg publicly credited Cruise with helping to get moviegoers back into theaters after the Covid-19 pandemic with the long-awaited sequel.

Cruise was not present at the presentation, but did narrate a film used to open the event, which focused on the studio's commitment to releasing films on the big screen.

At the end, Cruise -- sitting atop the water tower on the studio's lot -- says, "The future looks great from here."

Paramount Skydance chief David Ellison told attendees that the studio would guarantee a 45-day theatrical release window for its films before moving them to streaming platforms.

"Once we combine with Warner Brothers, we're going to make a minimum of 30 films annually," Ellison said in a pledge to theater owners. "Long live the movies."

Paramount has launched a massive $111 billion bid to take over Warner Bros, topping a rival bid from Netflix.

But many in Hollywood fear the mega-merger will lead to cuts that will forever change the film industry.

Also on Paramount's upcoming slate is a film adaptation of the popular video game "Call of Duty," due in theaters in June 2028.

Attendees also saw early footage from "Heart of the Beast," a thriller starring Brad Pitt as a military veteran who must survive a plane crash in Alaska with his combat dog.

And Johnny Depp showed up to offer a preview of "Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol," the latest adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens tale, in which he plays the grumpy Scrooge.

CinemaCon continues later Thursday with Disney's presentation.

pr/sst/md